Kokkinos Pyrgos is a small seaside village and working harbour on the south coast of Crete. It sits on the western edge of the Messara plain in the Heraklion district, just below the town of Tympaki. Its name means Red Tower. A long stretch of grey sand and shingle backed by tamarisk trees draws Cretan … Read more
Kedrodasos sits on the far southwest coast of Crete, in the Chania district, just east of the pink-sand lagoon of Elafonisi. Its name means cedar forest, and a grove of low, ancient juniper trees grows across the dunes right down to the sand. Pale sand, smooth flat rock and shallow turquoise water make it a … Read more
Ligres is a long, quiet beach on the south coast of Crete, set in the Rethymno district below the mountains between Agios Pavlos and Triopetra on the Libyan Sea. Grey-and-golden sand, low dunes and a stream mouth back a small line of tavernas and rooms, with no resort development along the shore. A rough road … Read more
Treis Ekklisies, meaning Three Churches, is a small seaside settlement on the south coast of Crete. It sits below the Asterousia mountains in the Heraklion district and faces the Libyan Sea. A long pebble beach, clear deep water and a small fishing anchorage rest at the foot of a mountain road that winds down from … Read more
Maridaki is a tiny seaside hamlet on the south coast of Crete, tucked at the mouth of a gorge below the Asterousia mountains in the Heraklion district. A small beach of pebbles and grey sand faces the Libyan Sea, and cold spring water runs down the ravine to the shore. A scatter of houses and … Read more
Kalamaki sits on the southern shore of Crete in the Heraklion region, a low-rise beach village stretched along the Gulf of Messara. Grey sand and shallow dunes frame the coastline, part of a protected zone where loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest. Tavernas, small hotels and family-run guesthouses line the waterfront rather than towering … Read more
Kalyves is a large seaside village and low-key resort on the Apokoronas coast of north-west Crete, set where two small rivers meet the sea on the western edge of Souda Bay. The village belongs to the Chania region and keeps a lived-in, working feel rather than a purely tourist one. A long sandy beach, a … Read more
Almyrida is a small seaside resort on the Apokoronas coast of north-west Crete, in the Chania region. It sits east of the village of Kalyves, on the Souda Bay side of the Drapano peninsula, facing calm, shallow water. A sheltered sandy beach, a shallow reef reaching offshore, a row of tavernas and cafes, and a … Read more
Gouves is a coastal resort area on the north coast of Crete, in the Heraklion region between Heraklion city and Hersonissos. The area splits into two distinct halves. Pano Gouves is the old inland village in the hills, while Kato Gouves is the beach resort on the shore, lined with sandy and pebbly beaches, hotels, … Read more
Malia is a lively beach resort on the north coast of Crete, set in the Heraklion region east of Hersonissos and the airport. A long sandy beach fronts the resort, and the town carries one of the island’s busiest nightlife strips, the bar street that draws a young summer party crowd. The older traditional village … Read more